Hope Sprouts Eternal
by Tarma Hartley
Summary: For PhoenixFlame53. Miles learns why its never a good idea to make a bet with a nine year old... Full length fic based on my "Family Ties" story, "Trick Or Treat." Domestic!NaruMitsu, Alternate Universe


**For PhoenixFlame53! I'm so sorry that this is so late! Hope you enjoy! ^_^** _  
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 _A/N: I do not own Phoenix Wright, Mile Edgeworth or Trucy Wright; they belong to CAPCOM. The plot is mine. ^_^_

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Miles learns why its NEVER a good idea to make a bet with a nine year old... Full length fic based on my _Family Ties_ story _Trick Or Treat._

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Full length fic based on my Family Ties story, Trick Or Treat. **Hope you all enjoy! ^_^  
**

 **Thanks** to my readers and all those who have favourited, reviewed, story alerted, favourite author or author alerted me. I appreciate it more than I can say!

 **Special thanks** to my beloved husband, DezoPenguin, for all his help, support, advice, nagging (when necessary) encouragement and the title! I appreciate it more than I can say! Love you!

Comments are appreciated and constructive criticism is welcomed. I will probably change some things at some point; always room for improvement!

Rated Teen, male/male relationships, Romance/Drama/, Domestic!Phoenix x Edgeworth, Alternate Universe

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 _July 15th_  
 _Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth Residence_  
 _Dining Room_  
 _7 P.M._

"I don't want to, Daddy." Trucy's voice was flat as she glared at me through narrowed eyes, her mouth twisted in distaste.

"You have to, sweetheart," I replied, trying to be reasonable.

"Why?" My nine year old wasn't convinced and I could hear it in the stubborn tone in her voice.

I sighed inwardly as I did my best to steel myself against the inevitable.

"Because vegetables are good for you and you _need_ to eat them if you want to stay healthy."

She made a face. "Even brussels sprouts?"

I nodded.

" _Especially_ them."

"Spawn of the devil," I heard Miles say on the other side of the dinner table and I rolled my eyes. I should have known that he would chime in sooner or later with his opinion. I only wished he would have waited until _after_ dinner to express his opinion on the matter and I didn't like the look of triumph that was starting to spread over Trucy's face as she looked at him.

I sent him a quick glare and then sat back in my chair, putting down my fork by the side of my plate, sighing loudly. It was getting more difficult to find common ground with Trucy where vegetables were concerned since she was definitely starting to have preferences.

She also had the earmark of the picky eater and that was something I was doing my best to discourage; I wanted her at least to try different foods first and then, if she didn't like them, we would move on.

I also wasn't happy about what I considered to be Miles' running interference in the matter; it would have been far better if we had been united but we weren't for he hated them as much as she did.

"You _could_ be a little more helpful, Miles," I grated under my breath and I was gratified to see that my barb had struck home in the splotch of red that was staining his cheeks. He turned to face her and I could tell by the stubborn lift of her chin that our nine year old _wasn't_ about to give in without a fight.

I couldn't help but smile. Miles wasn't a pushover-like I sometimes was-and the look Trucy gave him was priceless. Not a muscle moved in his face and he watched her silently until she'd choked every last one of them down. I could see that she wasn't at all happy about it but I figured that a little unhappiness was worth her eating properly.

Funny it should come from me; I always thought it would be Miles who would be the bug about proper nutrition and not me. Then again, perhaps it might be that he and Trucy shared the same hatred for that vegetable, which I found quite amusing, and were kindred souls for having shared it.

She made an ugly face but Miles was unmoved and, knowing better than to try and push her luck, and dug in, chewing and swallowing, making a face after every bite.

I sighed, rubbing my eyes. Dinner time was becoming more of a battleground lately and I was at a loss as to what to do about it. Trucy was nine now and, if I didn't nip it in the bud, I wasn't sure that I could later on. Once she got older It was on my mind all the way through dinner and late into the evening, even when Miles and I were snuggling in bed before he fell asleep.

 _I don't know what we can do but it is certain that something needs to be done and soon. I_ chewed on my lower lip. _She's becoming much too particular and I really don't want to encourage that kind of behavior at all. The question is: what can I do?_

It remained on my mind throughout the rest of the evening and into the early morning hours and I was no closer to an answer than I had been earlier.

 _I'm sure that something will come,_ I thought to myself as I snuggled into Miles' arms, cradling my head on his chest as I felt his fingers tangle themselves in my hair. _I don't have to come to a decision now and I can sleep on it for the next while.  
_  
That was the last thought I had before I drifted off to sleep, a smile on my face.

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 _Nine days later...  
July 24th  
Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth Residence  
Dining Room  
7:10 P.M.  
_

I sighed inwardly as Trucy put on her stubborn face, crossing her arms over her chest and sticking out her lower lip, angry harrumphs emerging from her lips.

Tonight had been the worst night yet and I was left wondering what on earth I could do to stem the tide that threatened to overwhelm me where our daughter was concerned. Now she outright refused to eat brussels sprouts and, I had to admit, that Miles _wasn't_ helping in this area.

He'd given her _that_ look, the one that stated quite plainly he wasn't amused but she didn't seem cowed by it and merely pointed out that " _Papa Miles doesn't have to eat them so I'm not going to, either._ "

She had a point and I was loathe to admit it; even Miles looked taken aback by her bold pronouncement and I didn't miss the look that he gave me from out of the corner of his eye.

"You know, Trucy," I said as I turned to face her, "I think that it is time that we had a talk."

"About what?" she asked, suspicion clear in her voice.

Miles gave her a hard look and whatever else it had been that she was going to say, she thought better of it and remained silent although the sour look on her face spoke volumes.

"I think that both you and Papa Miles should make a bet and the loser will have to wear the Halloween costume of the one who wins."

She blinked once, her brow furrowing. Whatever it had been that she was expecting to hear, that wasn't it and even Miles had a thunderstruck look on his face when I said it. I ignored him as I continued talking, taking a sip of my after dinner coffee.

"All right," she said agreeably as she lay down her fork, her interest, for once, caught. "What would I have to do in order to win?"

"Eat your brussels sprouts. _Without_ complaint and _without_ a fight."

She sighed deeply, pouting.

"That doesn't seem very fair to me..."

"Papa Miles will have to eat his, too." Miles whipped around at that, the expression on his face an interesting study in contrast. "Without complaint and without a fight, same as you."

"Phoenix, what on earth-!"

I held up my hand and he snapped his mouth shut but I could tell by the look in his dark grey eyes that he was _not_ happy with me.

"Do we have an agreement?" I asked Trucy, ignoring Miles' outburst.

She thought about it for a moment and then agreed, Miles nodding as I asked him the same question.

"Then its settled." I took another sip of my coffee before I spoke again. "You're both on the honor system and I expect honesty from the both of you." I smiled at each one in turn, taking the sting out of my words. Both were honest and I knew that I didn't have to remind them of that but I was also trying to teach Trucy a lesson in integrity: that keeping your word was paramount no matter what. I firmly believed that your word was your bond and I wanted to impart this lesson to our daughter, as well. "The one who either puts up a fuss or doesn't eat their brussels sprouts loses and has to wear the costume that the other chooses, no matter what it may be."

I thought I heard Miles mutter something under his breath but I paid him no mind.

"You've both agreed and I expect you to keep to it." I smiled at them and said nothing more, raising an eyebrow at Trucy who sighed and picked up her fork and ate her brussels sprouts. After a moment's hesitation, so did Miles.

The next week was a very interesting one from my point of view with Miles and Trucy doing their utmost to outdo the other in eating brussels sprouts. I had to admit that I'd wished I had thought of this earlier.

Time went on and it seemed that neither Trucy or Miles wanted to be the first one to cave so they were making sure that they finished their brussels sprouts whenever I prepared them. To be fair, I _didn't_ make them every day; I tried to offer a variety on the nights when it was my turn to cook since I didn't think it was fair to make them eat a vegetable that they so obviously disliked on a daily basis, bet or no bet.

It ran contrary to the spirit of the thing in the first place and I didn't want to have that run counterproductive to what I was trying to teach our daughter about integrity and the keeping of one's word. In my mind, to have done so would have been grossly unfair and so I tried to provide variety whenever and however I could.

To their credit, both Miles and Trucy did not complain outwardly-although I'm pretty sure that there must have been plenty internally-and continued to eat their brussels sprouts; I could see them watching the other warily and I couldn't help but to chuckle to myself.

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 _Two months later..._  
 _September 24th  
7:15 P.M.  
_

One night a couple of months later, when I'd had one of my rare days off, I'd offered to make dinner that evening and made a delicious meat loaf with salad, fruit plate and brussels sprouts as the vegetable course. I called them to the table and both came out rather wearily. My expression was sympathetic; I knew that Miles had had a rough two weeks working on a case that was set to go to trial in the next three weeks and Trucy had had a rough week at school, as well. Neither one of them was really in the mood to be confronted by a vegetable they both hated as the matching expressions on their faces told me all too clearly.

I didn't say a word but merely sat down at the table and they followed me, seating themselves while casting pointed stares in my general direction. I did point out to the two of them that we hadn't had brussels sprouts for over a month and it was all that we'd had left in the freezer. When Miles asked why I hadn't gone shopping before this, I told him that I hadn't had a chance to go to the grocery store that week; I was also busy with a high-profile case and had been putting in long hours at the office which left me little time to do many household chores. I'd had other things to do today in order to catch up on the chores that I had let slide over the past few weeks.

He nodded and looked down at his plate, distaste clear on his face. Trucy merely dug in without a word and we followed some time after, enjoying the deliciously flavorful meat loaf-Miles' own recipe-and salad.

"How is your case going, Phoenix?" Miles asked when there was a lull in the conversation, picking up his wineglass and taking a sip of his apple cider.

"So far, so good," I replied, taking a sip from my coffee before placing it down on the table. "There's some snags that I haven't quite sorted out presently but that shouldn't be too much of a problem." I wrapped my fingers around the mug's handle, lifted it to my mouth once again and took a large swallow. "You?"

Miles sighed and that told me everything I needed to know but waited in silence until he spoke.

"It's not going very well at the moment. There's too many things that don't make any sense and I'm not really sure about how to put all of the distorted pieces together into a coherent whole." He sighed again, receiving sympathetic gazes from both Trucy and myself, the latter who continued to shovel her supper into her mouth. A raised eyebrow was all it took to slow her down and started eating properly, chewing and swallowing.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Once I've wrapped up my case, I could give you a hand if you want one."

Miles looked gratefully at me. "That would be wonderful, Phoenix. Thank you."

I smiled back and the meal continued as always. I noted that Trucy was enjoying her supper with a relish that I hadn't seen her do before and, although I couldn't help but wonder why, I was grateful and didn't give it a second thought. Until after dinner.

Miles was helping me clear the dinner dishes and Trucy was there right at his elbow, waiting to help, a secret smile on her face. My eyebrow rose as I wondered just what our daughter was up to; she _never_ had that smile on her face unless she was either up to something or had just won what she would consider to be a great victory.

I shrugged and resolved to speak to her about it later when I happened to see Miles' dinner plate and suddenly it all became clear: Miles hadn't eaten all of his brussels sprouts and Trucy was quick to pick up on that fact. She was having a very hard time trying to keep it in and I knew that it wouldn't be long until she let her excitement show.

I shook my head but said nothing and continued to clear the table, walking into the kitchen to put the dishes on side of the sink.

 _The little minx_ , I thought with affection, shaking my head and chuckling under my breath. _She knows that she's just won and can't wait to let it out._ I heard a sudden rush of excited yelling from my daughter and Miles' confused tone as he asked her what the matter was and why was she so excited? _Right about now, I would expect._

"I won, Papa Miles, I won!" she crowed victoriously, dancing a little jig in the dining room while Miles looked on in stunned silence.  
 _  
Yes, she knows._

" _Won_?" Miles repeated in a stupefied tone of voice, looking toward me in the kitchen. "Trucy, what on earth are you talking about?"

"I won! I won! I get to choose Papa Miles' Halloween costume!" Trucy continued to dance, clapping her hands while Miles' face drained of color and I heard him mutter "Oh, _hell"_ under his breath. He'd forgotten about the bet and I didn't say a word as I walked back out into the dining room to stand beside him but my gaze spoke volumes as my eyes flickered over to him, shaking my head slightly as he raised his hands to utter an objection.

"A promise is a promise," I said quietly, "and you lost fair and square."

Miles' shoulders slumped as he sighed, defeated. He knew that he didn't have a leg to stand on, so to speak, and he was also too honest to deceive; he, too, had a code of honor that he lived by and I knew him to be a man of his word who would keep the promises he'd made even if they were detrimental to himself.

He sighed again and gave in with good grace. I leaned over, planting a soft kiss on his lips.

"A promise is a promise," he said at last to Trucy, a half smile on his face while she continued to dance about in excitement before she stopped in front of him. "You win. You get to choose my Halloween costume."

"I have the perfect thing in mind for Papa Miles!" She reached up on tiptoe and kissed him fondly on the cheek and I chuckled at the blush which stained his cheeks.

"What is that, honey?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

She shook her head. "No, Daddy, I won't tell you right now." She winked roguishly at me while I snickered. "It's a secret."

I couldn't help but notice that Miles looked slightly panicked, swallowing hard as our daughter danced out of the room and down the hall. Once she was out of sight, I chuckled softly as I pulled him into my arms, kissing him hard on the mouth, happy to hold him again. After a moment's hesitation, I felt his arms lift, wrapping themselves around me in return and his mouth began to move in tandem with my own.

When we parted a few minutes later, I could still see that poleaxed look.

"Don't worry so much, Miles," I whispered as I held him close, kissing the side of his neck tenderly and smiling against his skin. "How bad could it possibly be?"

We were about to find out.

 **~FIN~**


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